Microsoft Defender has started creating thousands of unnecessary files on the startup disk, but a hotfix has already been created
Over the past few days, the Reddit and Microsoft forums have posted a slew of reports of an issue with Microsoft Defender (formerly Windows Defender), causing the boot drives of users’ computers to fill up. The complaints were that the Microsoft Defender folder was growing to a colossal size, accumulating thousands of tiny files less than 2KB in size in a folder located under the path ProgramData Microsoft Windows Defender Scans History Store.
According to reports, the bug primarily affected those who use several antivirus programs in Windows Server 2016 and 2019. Some users reported that they could not open the folder in which Microsoft Defender files accumulate due to the absolute filling of the boot disk. System administrators have found a way out of disabling the Microsoft Defender real-time protection mechanism. Command-line scripts were also used to delete files in the History folder.
Microsoft has reportedly already begun rolling out a fix for this issue. The bug is presumably present in the version of the Microsoft Defender engine with the number 1.1.18100.5 and disappears after an update that increases the number 1.1.18100.6. The update will be available to a wide range of users tomorrow.
